A name for a name
by Cengiz
Summary: "I need Azrael's blade," Lucifer stated. "You gave it to me to hide it for a reason!" Maze informed him warily, adding: "What do you need it for?" - "Someone just tried to kill Chloe. And I have less than eight hours to save her life." (Event right at the end of 2x09)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Hello my dears. After seeing the last episode of Lucifer, this little story didn't want to leave my head. The episode was soooo, well: the part of me that is a Chloe-Lucifer shipper hated it and wanted to punch sense back into the devil, but the writer in me was screaming with joy. It was such a perfect ending. And here is my little version of how it could continue. I hope you like it :D It will be a 2 or 3 chapter story, depending on my mood of putting the last part of the second chapter in an extra one.

It starts directly with episode **2x09**.

Edit: This chapter is now **beta-read** by Daemon. All remaining mistakes are my own :D

Enjoy!

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 _'Fine. I'm heading home,_ ' Chloe typed into the messenger, hitting send. She glanced one more time at the display, feeling nothing but anger inside of her.

Two hours.

Two hours she'd waited here, for him, for a reply, but nothing came. At first, she didn't think anything of it when he didn't show up. He was probably just going to be late. But after the second text message, she became worried. Never before, had he not answered her texts, and she feared something had happened. She even sent Maze a text, asking if she knew where he was and if he was alright. Somehow this woman always seemed to know when Lucifer was in trouble or not, so she believed her when she replied with a simple ' _he's fine._ '

And that was the moment when the anger kicked in. He was actively avoiding her texts. But why? Everything seemed alright after his home was saved, and he had looked so genuinely happy about her accepting his offer to go out for dinner. She even dressed up a little to soothe the voice inside her head that had screamed ' _this is a date_ '.

She emptied her glass and stood up. Going to the reception, she informed the waitress that the wine would be paid by Lucifer, who sent her a sympathetic smile, accompanied by an affirming nod. And finally, it dawned on her.

She was stood up.

By no one less than Lucifer himself, and the anger about it rose even further. ' _Thank you very much for my ruined night, after I saved your home!_ ' she thought to herself and exited the restaurant, heading straight to her car. She rummaged through her purse for her key, grabbing it, and opened the door.

Charlotte watched her from the side alley, the trigger firmly in her hand, ready to press the little button at the next perfect opportunity. The woman her son was so drawn to bent forward, about to get in the car. She smiled a pleased, evil grin as she pressed the button.

Chloe was almost inside the car when she heard someone calling her name. For a split second, she thought it was Lucifer and quickly stood up again. But then, she realised that voice sounded nothing like him. Still, someone seemed to call her name and she couldn't make out who it was. She walked several steps towards the direction the voice seemed to come from, as suddenly her car exploded and a shockwave filled with fire, metal and splinters of glass wrapped her up, pushing her to the ground.

/-/

Lucifer sat in the chair in his apartment, sipping his drink and eyeing the phone on the armrest where he had placed it upside down. He felt bad, guilty for not going to the dinner or answering her, and he knew she would probably hate him for it, but the words Linda had spoken during his consultation didn't want to leave his mind.

She was right, somehow. He did feel something for that human detective, and not just recently. Those feelings were there right from the start and had unknowingly grown bigger and bigger. But it wasn't love he felt for her. It couldn't be. He was the devil, a fallen angel, and she just a human.

He couldn't. They couldn't.

He shouldn't.

He sipped on his drink again, soothing the pain in his stomach that didn't want to leave him alone. Since he'd met her and started to feel pain, he had enjoyed that part of a sudden mortality. It gave him a kick. But right now, that feeling was anything but pleasurable. It made his guts turn upside down; made him want to throw up and convulse in pain, and he hated it right now that the world was affecting him so much. Everything was easier when he didn't feel anything but the anger about his father's abandonment.

Suddenly the little device came to life, filling the air with a rapid buzzing sound. He glanced over at his phone that was enveloped in a light blue stream of light, coming from the display beneath. It was probably the detective, intending to give him an earful about his crappy behaviour, and he slightly shirked from that thought. He didn't want to listen to her voice right now. Well, if he was honest with himself, he did want to listen to her, he loved hearing her voice, but not when she was angry at him. And dead certain she was. She had every right to be. A little voice inside his head urged him to pick up the phone, but he hesitated. He was afraid; afraid about her ranting, what she might say to him, or if she would just punish him with unbearable silence, or worse, abandon him.

A little pearl of sweat ran down his temple, disappearing into the stubbles of his two-day-old beard, and he breathed a sigh he didn't know he was holding when the phone died down again.

He stared at it for a little bit longer before he turned his attention back to the invisible spot in the dark shadows ahead of him, taking another sip to soothe his thumping heart.

Again, the phone came to life, interrupting his thoughts with three loud buzzing sounds, and this time, the little voice inside of him was too loud to be overheard. He grabbed the device and turned it over. The display revealed an unknown caller, and, overwhelmed by curiosity and concern, he pressed the answer button and held it against his ear.

"Lucifer Morningstar?" he calmly introduced himself, waiting for the voice on the other end of the line to do the same.

" _Why weren't you with her?_ "

The frantic voice of Dan Espinoza resounded through his ear. He could almost hear the accusation in his words, but also deep-rooted worry and fear.

Lucifer instantly sat upright, placing the glass down as he gave his whole attention to the caller. "What do you mean?" he questioned, perplexed.

" _Chloe told me to watch Trixie because she was going to dinner with you_ ," Dan explained quickly, repeating his question with more panic in his voice, " _Why weren't you with her?_ "

He didn't know what to answer. It surprised him that she instantly had told her ex about it, and he felt a hint of anger coming to life inside of him. But something didn't feel right. Why did the detective sound as if his world had just crashed down when she had told him that he'd stood her up? If he was Dan, and he was sure he never wanted to be that man again, he would be glad. "What-" was all he could manage to say before he was interrupted by him.

" _You could have saved her!_ " Dan shouted into the receiver, his voice dripping with loathing before he sounded like he was about to cry again, " _Why weren't you there?_ "

Lucifer stared blankly into space, trying to process the words that didn't make sense to him, but he felt something must have happened with the detective, his detective, his Chloe. His heart throbbed loudly in his ear and he felt his blood rushing through his veins, increasing his breathing and bringing him to the edge of a panic.

" _If she dies, it's your fault!_ " Dan spat into the receiver before loud sobs followed.

His heart skipped a beat. "Dan, where are you?" he half shouted into the phone, pushing the shock away that dulled his senses.

/-/

Lucifer ran into the ER, almost tripping over a man who had been placed in a wheelchair, his plastered foot visibly sticking up. He darted forward to the reception. "Chloe Decker! Where is she?" he shouted to the nurse, his voice in panic.

She must have been used to this kind of reaction because instead of yelling at him for his behaviour, she simply pointed to the elevator and answered, "1st floor. Operating rooms, to the left."

He didn't bother to take the lift. Instead, he headed directly for the stairwell, taking three stairs at a time and rushing back out through the door, turning left and darting forward. As he made out Dan pacing up and down in front of two large doors at the end of the corridor, he went straight to him. "What happened?" he questioned through pants. He wasn't out of breath from running, he was fearing for her life, and it choked his lungs, making it almost impossible for him to speak.

Dan looked up at him, his eyes red from crying, the panic written all over his face as he answered, "There was a bomb under her car. A fricking bomb!" He took a deep breath to calm himself a bit down. "She was lucky the thing went off before she was inside of it." His eyes widened in shock and he stared at Lucifer. "If she had been inside that car, she would have, she would have-" his voice broke off, and he quickly covered his mouth with both his hands to stifle the scream that threatened to leave his throat.

Lucifer gaped at him, flabbergasted, he couldn't speak one single word. He didn't know how. ' _Who in hell wanted to hurt Chloe, wanted to see her dead?'_ the question ran around inside his head, blocking out everything else.

"What if she dies? What do I tell Trixie? I don't want to tell her that her mother is dead," Dan mumbled frantically. His hands started to shake as the adrenaline rush ceased in his veins, and he covered his eyes, wiping away the tears that streamed down his cheeks.

Lucifer shook his head, taking a deep breath to compose himself. "Chloe is not dead! And I will make sure that this won't happen."

Hearing his words, Dan chuckled in anger and despair. "Because you decide who lives and who dies?" he questioned, lowering his hands to glare at his opponent.

He bit back the snide remark that was on the tip of his tongue, staring at him as fierce as a dragon. "I have my ways!" he answered brusquely. The anger he felt wasn't addressed to Dan, he felt it against himself. Taking another breath to keep himself from freaking out, he changed the topic, "Where is Trixie now?"

"With a neighbour," Dan answered, confused that the other man, who knowingly despised children, was actively asking for her.

"You should go to her. Be with your daughter. I'll stay here with Chloe," Lucifer suggested calmly, his eyes wrapped up in kindness as he looked down at the distraught human.

Dan stared at him, perplexed. At first, he wanted to object, wanted to yell at him that he wouldn't leave her side, but then he saw reason. There was nothing he could do now, anyway. Chloe was still inside the operation room and the doctor who had come out half an hour ago to briefly inform him about the main facts had stated that they would at least need another five hours. He thought of his daughter, and the need to be with her overwhelmed his hesitation. He sighed deeply and nodded towards Lucifer. "Call me when something happens. Anything," he replied low-voiced.

"Will do," Lucifer confirmed in a hushed tone, watching the other man leave in silence.

He waited until he was the only one on that floor until he let out his own desperate scream, pressing his hands over his face to muzzle the sound. Walking up to the double door, he rested his forehead against the cool material, placing each hand next to his head. He wanted so badly to be inside the room, to be with Chloe and make sure everything would be alright. But he couldn't go past the door that didn't reveal anything to the outside of what was going on behind it.

Suddenly, he felt a presence approaching him and he wheeled his head around, his fiery eyes glaring into space. "Don't you dare and come close to her!" he threatened, his body tensed, making himself ready to fight against the celestial beings, to keep them from taking her away from him.

The presence materialised, and Azrael appeared next to him.

Lucifer stared at her in surprise, before he narrowed his eyes again, turning his pupils back to their dark brown colour as he stated, almost spitefully, "Since when does the angel of death herself come to collect a soul?"

"Since that soul has such an impact on my brother," she simply answered, sending him a warm smile.

He turned his head back to the door, slightly shaking his head in determination. "You can't have her!"

Azrael took a step towards him, her eyes fixed at the door as well, as she replied soothingly, "That's not me to decide." She turned her head, her emerald green eyes staring intensely at him. "Wanna see her?"

He hesitated for a moment, afraid of what he would find behind those doors, but the need to see her got the better of him. He turned his head to his sister, nodding his answer.

Azrael held her hand out to him, and as he grabbed it, they walked through the door into a dark preparation room.

Lucifer remembered how it had felt to walk between the spheres; to be in the state of nothing but pure energy, Azrael's power. He had used her to sneak up on his brother when they were children and had felt excited about it that he could see everything, but no one could see him.

She guided him further into the operation room and Lucifer was startled as he got sight of Chloe, lying on her stomach, two teams of doctors and nurses around her, busy with cleaning the deep wounds across her body. Azrael had to grip his hand tighter, as he absent-mindedly pulled it away in fright. She didn't want the humans to get distracted with the devil suddenly appearing in their room. It would only stir up another ominous chain of events, and she was here to prevent more of them.

The machines suddenly started to beep irregularly and the medical team got frantic. "Ventricular fibrillation!" someone shouted and with practised moves they quickly turned her around, performing CPR.

"Will she die?" Lucifer asked his sister, his voice trembling, and he stared at her with horrified eyes that had tears sparkling at its corners.

Azrael shook her head, a faint smile on her lips. "Don't worry. It's not her time to die," she comforted him, adding a low, "Yet."

Lucifer turned his head back to the detective, lying there on the table, naked, covered in blood and dirt. He could see that parts of her skin had been burned down to the bones, and he knew she would not only be left with deep scars, but also with feeling tremendous pain for the rest of her life. Her heart rate steadied and the doctors prepared to turn her back around, continuing with cleaning the burned tissue and preventing infection.

The anger about the one who was responsible for it flared up inside of him and he turned his attention back to his sister, his eyes burning with raging fire. "Who did this?"

Azrael led him back out of the room. Avoiding a direct answer, she stated, "You know, she wasn't supposed to be on my list. She was actually only due after a really long life of hers." Seeing the question in his eyes, she quickly added, "She will die tomorrow morning at 7:37 from an aneurysm, caused by a blood knot the doctors will oversee to remove." She led him back into the corridor, re-materialised them both and let go of his hand.

"Why are you telling me this?" he questioned confused, not knowing what she was aiming at. He wanted to know who caused Chloe such a pain and not when he would eventually lose her for good.

"I write down all the names of those being born and cancel all the ones who die," Azrael went on, ignoring his question. "Some time ago, a name suddenly appeared in my book. A name that wasn't supposed to be there. It made me cancel a lot of other names since then. Names that shouldn't have been erased in the first place, and that caused the beginning of fateful events. They pushed the balance out of equilibrium. I want it to be back in, but I can't decide on that." She looked up at him, concern written all over her face as she waited for him to process her words.

"Mum did this?!" Lucifer wasn't sure if he just asked a question or stated the obvious. He gritted his teeth in anger, and a low growl escaped his throat as he saw the confirmation in his sister's eyes.

"She doesn't care about humans, Lucifer. Not like we do. She only wants to go home, with Amenadiel and you. But you refused her, and so she tried to kill the one thing that was the reason you stayed down here," she explained calmly.

Lucifer huffed mockingly, his sister and Linda could join hands with each other about that part.

Azrael touched her brother's arm to get his attention back to her as she cautioned him, "You're my brother, Lucifer, and I love you. But you don't belong in heaven anymore! And neither does she! It would cause a greater imbalance than everything she did down here and would eventually lead to the earth being destroyed. That must not happen!"

"And what do you want to do about that?" he questioned quietly, his voice saddened at the confirmed rejection, but he knew she was right. Heaven never was home for him. He knew that since he had shouted it into his mother's face.

"Not me. You!" she countered calmly, adding, "I will come back here tomorrow at 7:37 a.m. And I will cancel a name in my book by this time. It's up to you whether that name will be that of your human or not."

He nodded his understanding and watched his sister turning around and walking several steps ahead, before she halted again, turning back to him.

"And I want my blade back!" Azrael told him sternly and disappeared.

For a couple of seconds, Lucifer stared after her before his mind revived from all the information it had to process in such a short amount of time, bringing him back to his senses. He sighed deeply, rubbing across his eyes before he quickly grabbed his phone from inside his pocket and speed-dialed Maze's number.

"Yeah?" her sleepy voice sounded through the speaker.

"I need Azrael's blade," he told her, his voice revealing the worry and anger that was still inside of him.

"You gave it to me to hide it for a reason!" she informed him warily. "What do you need it for?"

" _Someone_ just tried to kill Chloe." He emphasised the first word, knowing all too well that his demon would instantly know who he was talking about. Eyeing the big clock on the wall, he added with concern, "And I have less than eight hours to save her life."

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 **A/N:** well, that's the end of the first chapter. As I already mentioned, one more will come (maybe two). Please let me know what you think.

Have a nice day!

:o)


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Hello my dears.

I'm sorry, I'm not fully back yet, and I don't even know where to start for those of you who are still waiting for the next chapter of my other story thabs. They will come! But it will take another while. I couldn't write for a long time and then after moving, new job and new everything I barely have time to even spend a thought at writing.

I did however manage to finish this little story that waited even longer, and my beta Daemon finally had the time to have a look at it. Unfortunately he won't have time again until the end of the year, but I will do my best to upload the next chapter early next year. (Not for this story, this will be complete with this upload)

I'm sure there are still errors in it. Feel free to point them out.

Enjoy!

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The elevator announced itself with a loud ping and its doors slid open, revealing a furious demon stomping towards Lucifer. "Where is that bitch?" she yelled at her former master. Her eyes were filled with rage, while her hand firmly clasped the towel the blade was wrapped in. She'd never admit it out loud, but the Detective had somehow grown on her as a friend. Not just since they were roommates, or since that night out at the club. No, she'd started to respect her long before that. And when she received the call from Lucifer, telling her nothing but that his mother had tried to kill Chloe, her anger and immediate demand for revenge had culminated in her.

Lucifer jumped up from his seat, glad that he could finally get rid of some of the tension that was shaking his legs up and down as if he had a tremor. He placed the half-empty glass of single malt on the piano and went over to his demon, reaching for the towel. "I don't know yet. But I won't stop till I find her." He unwrapped the blade, and as he held it in his hand, the blade awoke with a flash of white fire running up to its tip. Its power was reflected in Lucifer's eyes, which flared up in a fiery red. "Don't worry, Chloe, I'll save you," he muttered, his eyes fixed on the glowing weapon.

"Where is Chloe? I thought, after what your mother had tried, you'd have brought her here for protection?" Maze wanted to know and stepped further into the apartment. She peered into the bedroom to confirm herself that the human wasn't there either. Lucifer hadn't told her how this celestial being had tried to kill the detective, and that would have been her next question if Lucifer hadn't beaten her to it.

"She's still in surgery; fighting for her life. Azrael came to me. She told me that the Detective would die tomorrow morning, but if I kill _mother_ ', he spat out the word disdainfully and went on as if nothing had happened, 'before her time runs out, then Azrael would spare her life."

Maze's eyes widened with surprise. That she would ever see the day the Angel of Death would come down to earth to gather a human soul herself! "Wait," she half shouted when her mind also processed the first part of what the devil had said. "Chloe is fighting for her life? How? What did that evil bitch do to her?"

Lucifer sighed deeply, biting back the tears that welled up in the corners of his eyes at the thought of Chloe lying lifeless on the operating table. "She," he began but stopped immediately as he felt his voice tremble. He took a deep breath and tried again. "She'd put a bomb on her car and blew it up when Chloe was about to get in." He could hear the quiet, horrified gasp of his companion and looked up at her with grief in his eyes.

"How?... Is she?" Maze stammered without even knowing what she actually wanted to say. She didn't even bother to hide the concern she immediately felt for the human from flashing across her face.

"Her whole back is burned. Deeply." He paused. The thoughts were running wild in his head, and he needed a moment to sort them before he added, locking his eyes to the ground, "She will be in a lot of pain when she wakes up." He sighed deeply again. "All I can do right now is to make sure she _does_ wake up," he ended, barely audible, but still loud enough for Maze's ears to hear. He looked up again, staring right into his demon's eyes and announced with determination in his voice, "I have to find mum now. She has to pay for what she did."

"I'm coming with you!" Maze replied resolutely.

"No!" he declined right away, shaking his head to give emphasis on his statement. "I have to do this alone," he said in a stern voice. "I need you in the hospital to protect Chloe. If my mother finds out that her murder attempt was unsuccessful she could go after her to end it. I need you there to call me and hold her back until I arrive."

Maze didn't like it at all that she wasn't allowed to help kill that woman or that she had to let Lucifer go after her alone. But she obeyed his order anyway. Protecting Chloe was just as important, and she would do her best to keep her safe. Nodding her acceptance, she turned around and walked back to the lift with him in tow. She pressed the button, and the doors instantly opened to welcome both.

They entered without a word, and as the small cabin went down, silence surrounded them, leaving them to their own screaming thoughts.

/-/

He could have bet that his mother wouldn't be here. No one was that stupid or bold to display themselves in broad daylight, but would go and hide after what she'd done. Apparently he was wrong.

There was no added security. Not even Amenadiel to protect her and for a moment, Lucifer wondered if this was another trap. But then he walked ahead, up to the door of his mother's office, where the secretary had just confirmed she'd be at. No, he didn't care about any harm when it came to himself. He was going to make sure that his mother paid right now.

"Hello, son," Charlotte greeted him with a bright smile, looking up from behind a large pile of folders on her desk as she saw him enter.

Lucifer stopped abruptly. The appalled chuckle stuck in his throat at her bluntness, and he had to remind himself to keep breathing. "You don't even squirm," he recognised, slightly appalled.

Charlotte made a 'tsk' sound and lightly shook her head. "Why should I squirm at my own son?" she asked blankly.

The rage was back inside his chest, lighting the fire that flared up in his eyes now. "You've hurt her!" he growled through gritted teeth.

"Who?" she asked but then quickly remembered. "Ah, you mean your human detective?" A pleased smile appeared on her face, mildly raising the corners of her mouth as she admitted, visibly proud, "Well, I just got rid of a little bug so my dear son can now come back to heaven with me."

"You're not even denying it?" he roared, his hands clasped in fists and he wondered why he hadn't already lunged forward and bludgeoned her to death. He silently admitted to himself, that there had been a spark inside of him that wanted to believe that she would feel sorry, that she would fall to her knees, telling him that it had been a terrible mistake and she didn't want to kill her. That she would tell him she loved him enough to not take that one thing away from him his heart desired so badly. But that spark went out right now when she uttered those words.

"Well," Charlotte went on, unaware of the battle inside her son's head. "I had hoped the bomb would go off when she was inside the car, so she would have been shredded into her atoms and scattered across the area, but then this stupid thing decided to turn around and walk away from my perfect little plan. I almost feared she would survive unharmed, but then when the shockwave hit her..." she halted herself, the smile on her lips stretching even further as she reminisced and she sighed, pleased.

That was too much for his heart to bear. With a raging battle cry, Lucifer lunged forward, aiming at his mother's throat that he wanted to rip apart like she intended to do with Chloe, but he couldn't even reach that delicate neck with the tips of his fingers when suddenly his mother stood up, her look as cold as ice, and she grabbed him and threw him against the back wall with just a movement of her arms.

"So it's true! You do value that little human bug over your own family," Charlotte remarked, disappointed and angry at once, as she saw so much of her ex in Lucifer. She walked up to him, tapping on the ground with the heel of her shoe, and warned him gravely, "You better make up your mind who you really feel loyal to, and then I expect an apology."

"The only thing you'll get from me is my promise to kill you before the next morning has come," Lucifer spat through gritted teeth while he pulled himself out of the half crashed-down wall.

There was turmoil outside the door. Several voices could be heard, and suddenly the door was being opened, revealing the secretary with several lawyers crowded behind her, who'd still been working. "Is everything..." the young woman began to ask but when she saw Lucifer still half inside the wall, full of rubble and dust, she gasped in shock and quickly covered her mouth.

"Call someone," Charlotte ordered indifferently as she walked up to her employee. "I expect that hole to be filled again by tomorrow." With that, she disappeared behind the shield of a human crowd, knowing all too well that Lucifer wouldn't dare risking to reveal celestial force with them around.

Lucifer crawled fully out of the rubble, ignoring the hands who'd come running to help him, and darted after his mother. But it was already too late. There was no sign of her outside the building; the area was deserted except for some cars parked in the parking spaces and some stars that were bright enough to shine through the light pollution from the city.

"You won't escape me!" he shouted from the depths of his lungs, hoping his mother was still near enough to hear him. It was a desperate attempt to make himself feel anything other than useless and forlorn right now. He hadn't known that his mother had her powers back. Nor that she'd been that strong, especially in that fragile human shell around her. But he swore to himself that all power in the world and Silver City combined couldn't keep him from ending her. He ran to his car and jumped inside, driving off to the only other place he'd had in mind for her to be.

/-/

"Mum! Come out!" Lucifer yelled through the halls of the house and looked for her in every corner. He was so occupied that he didn't even hear the footsteps approaching and only turned around when a sleep-drenched voice called out to him.

"Who the hell are… oh," Mr Richards halted himself when he made out the outlines of the 'disturber'. "Mr… Mr Morningstar?" he asked, bewildered, when he finally recognised him. "What are you doing here?" he added and wrapped the gown closer around his body when a chilly breeze, coming from the widely open terrace doors, flew past him.

"Where is she?" Lucifer demanded to know, his anger and worry temporarily hidden beneath a stoic face.

"Who?" Mr Richards asked, baffled.

"My mo-" he quickly stopped himself and corrected loudly, "Charlotte Richards! Where is she?"

"I haven't seen her in days. Sorry, pal," the man apologised, shrugging, but refrained from adding that he wasn't too keen on seeing his soon-to-be ex-wife either.

Lucifer let out a disgruntled huff. He thought about ignoring the man and looking for her in the upper rooms nevertheless, but then decided against it. He believed him, and he didn't want to waste precious time searching through children's rooms with them still inside. Letting out another huff, he turned and walked back to the terrace door he'd come through, heading back to his car, leaving behind a perplexed man.

/-/

The air had cooled further down, but Lucifer didn't even notice. He also didn't care that the airstream the windscreen produced, had tousled his usually impeccable hair that much, that a bunch of curls hung in his face now. His mind was completely wrapped up in the question where to his mother could have gone.

For several hours now was he looking for her; had gone to the places she'd used to visit besides LUX, like bars, restaurants or motel rooms with her flings she had beside Dan to spice up her sex life. He'd even stopped by some of these sex partners he'd known or had given the address to from the people he'd called in hope they'd seen her or knew where she would be.

Nothing!

And the further the hand on the clock went forward, the more desperate he became, fearing to lose more of the precious time and to be too late... Only with half an eye did he recognise the full braking and angry honks of the other cars when he drove past red lights or cut corners. He didn't care about any consequences now. He was at a loss.

Normally that was the exact moment he would have gone to the Detective's house, would have let himself in, and would have asked her what to do. 'Preferably with her being under the shower or inside the bath tub' a silent voice added. It angered him that he couldn't do that right now. He needed her... and her advice. She would have known where his mother was, most certainly. She probably would have had several ideas where to look for Charlotte. And it angered him even more that the rage kept him from coming to conclusions on his own.

"Think, think, think," he mumbled like a mantra and then groaned frustratedly when it didn't show the desired result. "Damn it!" he growled. "I need someone to help me with that!"

Right! It suddenly shot through his head, and for the first time that night, a small smile plastered on his face.

/-/

Linda was sitting in a beach chair, her toes buried in the sand that was warmed up by the hot sun above her. She wiggled them playfully, relishing the cool air coming from the waves of the ocean that drew half-circles in the sand. But moreover, she relished the half naked, muscle-packed masseur who stood behind her, working magic on her shoulders while she appreciatively sipped on her delicious Mai Tai.

Suddenly the masseur stopped kneading the knots out of her muscles but started to shake her rudely.

The dream ended abruptly. The shaking did not. And she needed a moment to recognise that the silhouette wasn't a product of her brain, but rather a very livid, and very stern looking Lucifer. "Stop it!" she groaned, and sighed relievedly when he did as told and let go of her shoulders.

"Finally, you're awake! I had to shake you for minutes!" he reprimanded her sternly, "Why didn't you wake up instantly?"

"Only minutes?" Linda countered, ignoring his question completely as she went on, "it rather feels like hours." She sat up in her bed, still a little groggy and already missing her hot masseur, when she rolled her shoulders to get rid of the new tensions inflicted by Lucifer's shaking. She leaned over to turn on the bedside light and asked, puzzled, "What are you doing here anyway?"

"You need to help me thinking about a place where my mother would go," Lucifer simply answered and impatiently tapped with one foot on the ground.

The reflexive 'Why?' died down in her throat when she recognised the distress in his eyes. It was totally unusual for him to come to her, of all people, especially today and at such a time of the night with that type of question, and her mind already depicted possible fights or other reasons why he'd probably avoided his partner. "Wouldn't Chloe be a better address?" she calmly asked, hoping this way she'd get the reason for his doing right away.

"Yes, but I can't ask her," Lucifer simply pointed out, too wrapped up in the fact that he didn't have any time for this prolonging, for his voice to carry any other emotion than impatience. "She's still in the OR," he informed her absent-mindedly.

"The OR?" Linda gasped in horror and added a high-pitched, "What happened?"

"My mum tried to kill her. Now, I'm after her to end her life." The lacking response from his doctor made him aware of what he'd just said out loud and let his feelings finally reach the surface. His eyes turned watery, and his bottom lip began to tremble as he stared at Linda, silently pleading for her to stop staring back at him with that horror-stricken face and say something.

She didn't.

And so he did the only thing that came to his mind to distract himself from reality before it would break out of him. He turned around, rushed to the closet and rummaged inside for fitting clothes, throwing them on the bed and urging her, "Get dressed!" It came out shakily and more and more he felt like losing the battle with himself.

Linda stared at Lucifer. The inner wish to jump out of her bed and wrap her arms around him to soothe his pain was only held back by the fact that she knew that was exactly what he didn't want right now. She watched him, his back turned at her, the hand she could see clasped in a tight fist, and his body slowly beginning to tremble. "Lucifer?" she called him, the worry audible in her voice.

"She's alive!" he shouted suddenly, startling them both. "Chloe is alive!" he repeated in a firm but calmer voice, much more to assure himself than anyone else. He let out a low, calming breath, relieved as he felt himself getting back his composure, and added a cautionary, "For now, at least. That's why I need to find her. My sister will spare Chloe's life if I kill my mum before time runs out." A moment passed before he pointed out again, "I _need_ to find my mother."

With wide eyes and a blank mind, Linda continued to stare at him. When his words finally sunk in to her, the wheels in her head started moving at a rapid pace, producing thoughts over thoughts, quickly filling up her mind. "That's horrible," she mumbled, aghast, and her inner self added 'and enough stuff to fill the next sessions.'

"Focus, doctor!" Lucifer ordered, snipping with his fingers to get back her attention. Her eyes locked with his, and he went on, filling her in, "My mother isn't at work or at home, or at all the other places she used to be. So, where would she go?"

"How'd you know?" Linda asked, again ignoring his question, but it was much too late, or rather much too early, and Chloe was a much too dear friend for her to put on a professional mask and act as if it didn't matter. Even if she wished she could do so right now.

"Because I was looking _everywhere_ already," Lucifer answered, and this time, the desperation sounded through. "I found her at work and tried to kill her, but somehow she regained her powers back."

"What?" Linda gasped at what he'd just admitted, but then it shot through her head, "How is it even possible that you're able to kill her at all? She's a celestial being. Wouldn't she just come back in a different body?"

"That's what I have the blade for," Lucifer replied testily. His nerves were raw. He didn't have the time for this throughout explanation. Still, he needed the doctor to understand so she could be of any good help. When Linda began to stare at him again as if he was speaking in Cantonese, he groaned in frustration. "Geez! I don't have time for that," he mumbled and pulled out Azrael's blade from behind his back, showing it to her. "I told you about it. The killing spree, remember?"

Linda's gaze wandered to the sharp thing in his hand, whose tip was shimmering in a flame, but not an icy white colour like Lucifer had described it to her back then, it was a deep orange-red, warm flame, and somehow it instantly brought tears to her eyes. She quickly wiped them dry before the little drops were able to fall down her cheeks. "This can kill her," she uttered, not quite sure whether it was a question or statement that came over her lips.

"This blade can cut through anything, doctor. It even can kill the stubborn Almighty himself," Lucifer countered and peered upwards with an angry glimpse in his eyes, quickly putting the blade back behind his back before it had any different effect on the human.

"Does she know that?" Linda asked and this time it was him who looked at her, befuddled. "Charlotte, I mean," she elucidated. "Does she know this blade can kill her?"

"Of course she does!" he answered with a slight scoff.

"And does she know you have the blade?" Linda asked further.

At first, Lucifer couldn't quite comprehend what she was up to with all those questions and thought she'd only waste his time. He started to regret having wanted her help and prepared to leave but something kept him back. The look on her face, that somehow told him she was on to something, made him stay and answer her questions without a murmur. "She knew I had it. But later I gave it to Maze to hide it." He stared at her, waiting, hoping she would disclose to him the ideas that seemed to run through her head, but when she remained silent, he let out a disgruntled huff and asked suspiciously, "Why do you ask?"

"Well," Linda halted to sort the words before she answered, "because if my son had just tried to kill me, and this blade is the only weapon I can be killed with, I would make sure it's not in his hands. Where's Maze now?" she suddenly gasped in horror, fearing another dear friend in danger.

"She's at the hospital, protecting Chloe." When he saw Linda's eyes widen even further with terror, something he thought wasn't possible, and her hand instantly going up to her mouth, stifling an appalled outcry, Lucifer shook his head vigorously. "My mum doesn't know I'd given it to Maze. She doesn't even know where she is now," he replied, hoping to calm her. His words didn't show any effect right away, and so he assured her, "Believe me, doctor, I made particularly sure that neither my mother nor my brother knew where to find it."

"So she still thinks the blade is with you?"

Lucifer was about to roll his eyes in annoyance and counter something to make it absolutely clear to her once and for all, when he stopped abruptly. Her words had bounced against the right corners inside his brain and the penny finally dropped. He almost did a somersault and a wide smile burst out across his face. "Doctor, you're incredible. You've outdone yourself!" he thanked her and without another word, he turned around and rushed to the door.

"Wait! Where are you going?" Linda asked bewilderedly before he was out of the room.

Lucifer turned to her, the impatience back in his bones. "To LUX! That's the only place she'd think I've kept the blade," he quickly explained and was about to turn back around when Linda suddenly jumped up from her bed, grabbed the clothes he'd put there and started to get dressed.

"What are you-" he quickly cut off his question, brushed off the bewildered look on his face, and declared resolutely, "You're not coming with me! You'd be the first my mother would kill!"

"I'm not going with you!" Linda countered and slipped into the jeans she'd normally only wear in her spare time. "I'm going to the hospital. Where's Chloe at?"

"Why?" he asked, puffing out the air through his lips.

"Because Maze is there. She needs me now," Linda answered, but again received a befuddled "Why?" from the devil. "Because our friend is, as you've put it, in the OR, fighting for her life!" she explained.

Lucifer folded his arms in front of his chest. "So?" He absolutely couldn't see why that would require the doctor to be there as well. After all, she wasn't a medic. She couldn't help in the slightest.

Linda only groaned and rolled her eyes, slightly shaking her head as she put on her shoes. It would take too much time to explain this to him; time they didn't have right now. And so, she simply walked up to him, grabbed her jacket from the clothes hook, and pressed past him, out of the door of her one-room-apartment. "Just make sure you succeed on your side of the bargain. I'll keep an eye on Maze and Chloe," she ended and headed into the direction of her car whilst pressing her mobile phone against her ear to get the address directly from Maze.

"Will do!" Lucifer promised, but she was already out of reach to hear it; not that she could have heard it even if she still stood beside him, as his voice had been much too low. He was confused. He felt, he'd missed something important but he couldn't run after her and demand an explanation. Chloe's life was on the line. She was his priority right now. And so, he brushed off the queasy feeling and rushed over to his own car.

/-/

The doors of the elevator couldn't open fast enough for Lucifer as he pressed through them and barged into his apartment. "Mum, where are you?" he yelled out, looking across the area where his piano was. He turned around to look in the opposite direction and was brutally hit by a sudden blow to the face that sent him directly to the ground.

"What's gotten into you?" Amenadiel roared at the top of his voice, hopping mad about what his little brother had done.

"What's gotten into me?" Lucifer repeated in a mocking tone, holding his hurting chin as he stood back up. "You're the one who just punched me down!"

"That serves you damn right for attacking mum, and threatening her to… to..." Amenadiel hollered, still furious, he couldn't even say out loud the things his mother had disclosed to him. He neither could nor did want to understand why his brother would want to end her life.

"Me attacking her?" Lucifer scoffed, and an involuntary chuckle went up his throat. "So she came running right to you, huh. Too bad I didn't look for her at your place first. Would have saved me a load of time."

"Just so you know, she's not at my place," the older one countered in a high-pitched voice, adding in a low but decisive tone, "She's somewhere safe!"

"Then how-" Lucifer began but stopped right there. He looked his brother straight in the eyes, his own widened in surprise and clearance. Then, he narrowed them down and growled, "So you've got your powers back as well." He completely ignored the baffled "What?" from his brother and spat in despise, "And you didn't tell me!"

"What are you talking about?" it shot out of Amenadiel in confusion and hurt that he had to bring that up again now. "I don't have my powers back!" He declared and gritted his teeth to prevent himself from adding something thoughtless.

"Then how did she tell you?" Lucifer shouted back, not believing him one bit.

Amenadiel slightly shook his head in contempt. Then, when he realised the misconception, he corrected him matter-of-factly, "She phoned me!"

Reflexively, Lucifer's head shot back. He blinked, puzzled, and voiced a silent "Oh!" But he quickly shook himself out of his mistake and set to strike back, "Then, did she also tell you what she did?"

"What she?" Amenadiel roared in sheer disbelief of how his brother dared to put the blame on their mother. He just wanted to bury his fists deep inside his little brother's face, but he couldn't. Despite the fact, that he was currently physically inferior, he was his older brother. He was the reasonable one of them two, he was the wise angel, and so he inquired but not without a hint of sardonicism, "Then tell me, Luci, what in your eyes did she do by going through her files, that made you believe attacking her was justified."

' _Of course she'd only told him that,_ ' it instantly shot through Lucifer's head, and he huffed out in anger. She did the attack and then made it look like he was the bad one so her eldest would come to her defence. Typical! Lucifer narrowed his eyes to small slits and with a calm but dangerously dark voice, he answered, "She put a bomb on the Detective's car." While Amenadiel's eyes turned wide with shock, he continued with a composure as solemn as a judge, "Then, when she was close, mum blew it up. So, don't tell me, brother, that I don't have the right to go after her."

"She killed Chloe?" Amenadiel gasped.

For a moment, Lucifer considered to let him believe that. He couldn't trust him right now. Not when he was siding with their mum. But then, maybe Amenadiel wouldn't understand either why he didn't have much time left to end her life. He probably would try to talk him out of it, not realising that with every passing minute Chloe's life was one moment closer to death. "She's alive, barely," he finally revealed, but to give the other no time to feel relieved, he instantly added, "Azrael will take her life if I don't kill mother first."

For a moment, Amenadiel stared at his little brother, appalled and flabbergasted. "And you," he was unable to voice the words that had suddenly vanished from the depths of his mind and he shook himself slightly to get a clear head. "You agreed on that?" he ended horrified.

"This is the Detective we're talking about," he simply countered, and then, when his brother still stared at him with those wide eyes that constantly screamed 'why' at him, he announced, "Of course I agreed! Without a blink!"

There was a determination shining in his eyes that startled and at the same time impressed Amenadiel, but he couldn't back down now. He had to protect her. Raising his voice and hoping the other would see reason, he declared, "You can't just kill mom!"

"She did this!" Lucifer yelled, angry that his brother didn't want to see his side. "Chloe's innocent! Like all the other people whose lives mum had taken. This has to end. Now!"

"But..." Amenadiel started but didn't know how to proceed. He understood him. He liked Chloe, and it broke his heart to hear that she was about to die, moreover that his own mother had done this to her. But she still was his mother. Their mother! He couldn't just let Lucifer kill her. He couldn't. "There must be another way!"

"There is none! And right now, I don't care anymore. Mother did too much harm. She hurt so many. She hurt Chloe. She-" Lucifer stopped abruptly, pressing his lips shut to keep the words inside of him. The anger, the pain, the desperation flashed across his face and he shook his head from side to side to get a clear head. "You have the choice, Amenadiel," he informed him calmly. "You're either with me, or you're against me."

"I'm not against you," Amenadiel assured him honestly. "But, I can't let you kill her."

"Then stay out of my way," he replied so fast as if he already had known the words his brother would say.

"I… I can't, Luci," Amenadiel denied, shaking his head in sorrow. "Look. I'm the oldest one of us. I'll go and talk to Azrael, together we will figure out something."

"There is no time to talk!" Lucifer tossed in, but his brother raised his finger to silence him.

"There must be. I will take care of this, I promise."

"Really?" Lucifer spat angrily. "Like you've taken care of mum? When I remember correctly, you said you would keep an eye on her, didn't you? So, where were you tonight, when she blew up her car, huh? Where were you when Chloe lay there in the streets, her life hanging by a mere thread?" Two fiery flames flared up in his eyes, giving evidence to the rage that ran through his veins, and when his brother didn't answer him right away, he spat viciously, "Tell me! Where were you?"

"Where were you?"

Those words spoken at him in such calmness, startled Lucifer, and he swallowed, confused. Then, he saw reason. Amenadiel was right. He was supposed to be with Chloe at that time. They were supposed to have a nice dinner together. He would have sensed his mother if he'd been there. He would have been adamant to drive her home and then, his mother would never have dared to risk his life by hurting her. All of this could only have happened because he chickened out. He was as much to blame for Chloe's pain as his mother. He took a deep breath and slowly blew it out through his nose until he felt his composure back. "The deal has been made, Amenadiel. I won't back out of it now. Mum has to die before dawn, and that's it."

"But that's not fair!" the other countered angrily.

"Not fair?!" Lucifer repeated in a new wave of rage. "Is it fair that Chloe is fighting for her life? That her whole back is scarred and she will be in pain for the rest of her life? No! She's innocent. Where is your sense of justice there? You really want to let mum get away with another murder?"

"But, Chloe is a good soul, she will go to heaven, she will be fine," he tried to appease.

"This isn't how it's supposed to be!" the younger sibling yelled. "Chloe's life runs here! Not in heaven! Her life runs here: On this planet. In this city. Right beside-"

"You," Amenadiel completed.

Lucifer slowly shook his head. "Don't make this about me, brother."

"This is about you, Lucifer!" Amenadiel shouted, feeling the anger back in his bones again. "You're the one who's putting a human life above your own mother."

"Yes! Because mother did this to her!" he shouted back. "And not to save me or protect me. No! She did this to punish me! Because I don't want to go to heaven with her."

"Then, let me talk to Azrael. I can convince her to let Chloe live. I know that you don't want to go back to heaven and I can make mum understand that, too. When we are in heaven-"

"That is no place for her and you know it!" Lucifer interrupted him. "When mother finds a way back to heaven, earth will be destroyed. I can't let that happen. I won't!" he made clear, shaking his head to put emphasis to it. "So tell me where I can find her and then stay the hell out of my way!"

Amenadiel shook his head in determination. "I won't let you pass."

Lucifer saw the reluctance in his brother's eyes. He knew he wouldn't let go, let alone help him, and so, he balled his fists, ready to strike out any second, and warned him gravely, "Be careful, Amenadiel. I've already killed one brother to protect the Detective. I will do it again!"

"You would really kill one of your own? Again? For this human? Lucifer, I understand she is special to you, but she is just a human."

"No, Amenadiel, you don't understand anything. I'm not the devil for nothing. If you don't let me pass, if you stand in my way of killing mum, then I will kill you. I will kill Azrael for taking her life. I will kill mother as soon as I find her. I will kill Raphael and Michael and all our brothers and sisters who stand in my way as well. I will gather my demons and will march into heaven and I won't stop until I destroyed every inch of your beloved Silver City, and everyone in it."

"You are insane, brother," Amenadiel gasped, appalled.

Lucifer shook his head, and small tears filled the corners of his eyes as he declared in a whisper, "No, brother, I'm in love."

Amenadiel was taken aback. Never before had he heard him talk about his emotions, let alone voice something so important like love. One part of him felt happy for his little brother, but the other, bigger part of him, was utterly worried. He stepped closer to him, gently laid his hand on Lucifer's shoulder, and asked, "And you think your love for her justifies war on us?"

"Yes!" he answered with such determination, neither of them had ever heard coming out of his mouth before.

With a heavy heart, Amenadiel sighed deeply. He knew now, that whenever something would happen with Chloe, this whole world and the one above were done. He'd seen what his little brother could do. Had fought against him in a war before, until they were able to condemn him to hell. Back then, he and his siblings acted together. Right now, he was alone. He couldn't stand a chance against him, even if he wanted to. And moreover, he understood his pain. He himself had wanted his mother to stop. He just didn't know how to come up against her. Thinking it through, he nodded at his brother and declared calmly, "Then, let me do it. I'm the oldest. It's my duty."

"Do you really think I would ever put her life in your hands?" Lucifer spat and pushed away his brother's hand. "That I will ever again trust you with her life? Simply sit back and wait for you to do the job?"

"You have no choice, Luci!" Amenadiel made clear and then pointed out, "As soon as mother sees you, she'll know I've betrayed her. She fought you back once. She will do it again, and then, she will flee and we will never find her again."

"She has her powers back! She'll break your spine with her fingers, Amenadiel."

The other angel shook his head. "I'm her son. She would never do that. Give me the blade, Lucifer, and go to Chloe, keep Azrael from taking her soul. I promise you, I will take mom's life."

He didn't want to trust him. The voices in his head were screaming at him, some said he should, some said he shouldn't; and he was at a loss again. He peered at his watch and realised with horror that they only had left about one hour before it was too late. "You have to kill her before 7:37 in the morning or Chloe's life won't be spared."

"I understood, brother. I will do it."

Again, the different voices in Lucifer's head took out a contention. He closed his eyes, balled his fists and clenched his teeth and silently screamed until the last one of these voices had vanished, then he opened his eyes again. Grabbing behind his back, he brought out the blade and held it in front of his brother, but as Amenadiel wanted to take it, with his free hand he grabbed him by the arm, pulled him closer and warned him, deadly serious, "If you betray me, brother, no heaven, no earth, and no hell will be safe enough for you to hide. I'm still the king of torture. Don't forget that."

"I won't betray you," Amenadiel reaffirmed honestly, and with one final nod, he took the blade and left.

/-/

Lucifer looked back and forth between the window he saw Chloe lying behind and the clock at the little wall above the doors at the end of the corridor. It had already been past seven in the morning when the nurses finally decided to not call security on him but let him stay close to the Detective, much thanks to the doctor who'd talked to them in private. She was currently downstairs in the waiting area with Maze, while he was up here, looking at her through the glass shield; the closest the nurses had allowed him to be. He'd even took these little plastic bags for his shoes and put them on without a murmur.

But now, his desperation rose.

Unstoppably, the long hand on the clock ran further and further. He got nervous, when it reached the ten minutes mark, anxious when it hit the 20 mark, and now that it ran past the 30 mark, he was nothing but terrified. "Come on, brother, please don't tell me I was wrong trusting you," he mumbled in hope he could calm himself down. It didn't help. His body trembled, and his hands left a sticky mark on the glass window where he'd put them. His breathing increased rapidly when the hand landed on the 32 mark. "Hurry up! Time's almost up," he hissed and looked back to the figure that was almost unrecognisable by the bandages that were wrapped around her."

Suddenly, he made out some movements in the room. Something that broke the airstream like a piece of glass would do when thrown into water. "No!" he uttered in near panic. "No, no, no, no," he kept on mumbling as he rushed to the door next to the window, ripped it open and bolted through the little surveillance room.

"Hey, get out! You're not allowed in here," the nurse at duty shouted at him, but Lucifer simply ignored her and rushed to the second door that separated the observation room from the patient's area, ripping it open as well.

"Don't! She still has time," Lucifer pleaded at thin air, desperation in his voice. He rushed to the only bed in the room and covered the Detective's body with his arms as if he was shielding her from an impact.

"Leave!" he heard the nurse shout behind his back, and turned around, his face turned into a hideous mask of black and red, and he yelled at her, "You, leave!" He saw her startled face and heard her piercing scream, but didn't care. His attention was already back to the flowing something, that anyone would have dismissed as nothing. But he knew better.

"She still has time, please, Azrael," he pleaded again, his voice trembling, the corners of his eyes filled up with tears which threatened to leave any moment.

Azrael materialised at the opposite side of the bed. She looked at the monitors that showed several lines going up and down with different beeping-tones, and then, lowered her gaze to the unconscious human. "So, you decided to stay here instead," she mentioned in an indifferent tone, addressing her brother.

"Yes, I went after mum but she has her powers back," he briefly informed her. "Amenadiel went after her. He promised me to kill her." When he didn't see an immediate reaction from his sister, but her moving her hand closer to the Detective's head, he darted out his hand to grab her wrist and hold her back, and repeated in a frantic tone, "He promised."

Azrael turned her head, and her warm, brown eyes locked with Lucifer's. "I know," she announced with a nod and then turned her attention back to Chloe.

The hand that he'd just been holding fast in his grip started to fade. He still could see it, he just couldn't get a hold on it any longer as she dematerialised herself whereever he was about to touch her. Still, he tried to grab her hand, to keep his sister from getting in contact with her. "Don't!" he shouted at her. "There is still time!" he went on in a mixture of demand and plea. "Don't!" he cried in sheer panic when her hand reached inside Chloe's head. The beeping from the monitors increased rapidly, and he feared that now the time had come, that he'd lost her, his Chloe. "Please, don't!" he begged his sister. Little teardrops escaped his eyes and made their way across his cheeks as he watched his sister with a horror-stricken expression while she was reaching further into Chloe's head and then removing her hand again.

The beeping slowed down again, and then settled on a normal rhythm.

"What?" Lucifer gasped, not understanding in the slightest that the monitors continued to show a steady heartbeat instead of going into a flat line like it was supposed to, when a soul was taken from their body. With blank eyes, and an even more blank mind, he stared at his sister, who only smiled back at him and opened her closed hand to show him a little, dark-red spot in the middle of her palm.

"That's a blood clot," she nonchalantly explained to him. "The doctors had overlooked it during their surgery. The hints were there, but they were distracted by all the burned flesh, so they didn't recognise the little bump in her veins, wandering upwards."

"What does that mean?" Lucifer asked quietly, his nerves still too raw to properly process anything she'd just said.

Azrael only snickered in her bubbly, lively way, closed her hand again to make the clot disappear, and then took out her notebook and pen, and cancelled a name.

"What did you do?" he asked, flabbergasted, and received another chuckle from his little sister.

"I've just told you," she answered and turned around, starting to disappear. Her words "See you around" still lingered in the air after she'd been gone and for a moment, Lucifer continued to stare into the distance.

He only came around when he suddenly felt something cold move inside the palm of his hand. He was startled, but then quickly turned around and saw to his surprise that he'd grabbed one of Chloe's hands, and had held it the whole time. More to his surprise, that hand stirred again, and slowly began to get warmer. As if driven by his subconsciousness, he bent down to her and was startled again when slowly two heavy lids were lifted, and two very tired, but very alive looking sea-blue eyes stared at him.

He felt shock and joy and excitement all at once, and even more feelings came to life and were rushing through him that he couldn't get a name of. He didn't know what to do. He was stuck in the middle between wanting to jump into the air, and fall around her neck, and lift her up and kiss her and scream out his relief that he had her back. That she finally was safe... He took a deep breath, slowly let it out, and then leaned further down to her and whispered, "Go back to sleep, Detective. Everything will be alright. I'm here now, and I won't leave you." He saw her eyes become wide, then small, then a little wide again, and repeated quietly, "Go back to sleep." He took her hand to his mouth, and placed a kiss on her knuckles so lightly that he almost didn't feel the touch himself. Then he placed her hand back next to her other, and tucked the blanket a little tighter around her body.

/-/

"Thanks for bringing me back my blade," Azrael commented as she materialised next to Amenadiel, who was standing behind the large glass mirror, watching his younger brother bending down to the human.

Amenadiel sighed, and voicelessly offered the deadly weapon to her.

She took it, put it away, and then caressed the side of his back. "I know it won't change how you feel right now, brother, but you did the right thing."

The tall angel swallowed the lump in his throat and fought back the tears reaching his eyes. When he found himself steady enough to speak, he slightly turned his gaze, and out of the corners of his eyes, he answered, "I know, I did."

"Do you want to come with me, and talk things out with Him?" she questioned further, concern audible in her voice.

He sighed and slowly shook his head. "I don't think I will ever be able to talk to Him again."

* * *

 **A/N:** I hope you liked it. Please be so kind and leave a little note.

Have a nice day!

:o)


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